Means for coupling trailers to motor vehicles



vIW. E. FERRIS. MEANS FOR COUPLING TRAILERS T0 MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 30. 1919.

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@www/woz W E.' HIT L' s "leo Patented Urt.. Ed, 1922..

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wrmtrnnr E. rennais, or CLEVELAND, 01110, Assrenon To THE omo 'manana COMPANY, a conronarroiv onor-1ro.

application inea .api-i1 ao, 19,19. sei-iai no. 293,839.

To all'wwmt may concern:

Be it known that ll, WILLIAM E. Fniuns, a citizen of the United States, residing at e Cleveland, in the countyof Cuyahoga and 5 State of Uhio have invented certain new and useful Improvements in `Means for Coupling Trailers to Motor Vehicles, of which the following is la specication. e rllhis invention relates to means for facilitating the coup-ling of a trailer to a motor vehicle, and 'has for its principal object to "provide means whereby when a motor vehicle is backedin the vicinity of the coupling and of a trailer, the motor vehicle may be easily connected to the trailer and upon further `backing of the motorvehicle, the trailer will be so guided that it will become coupled to the motor vehicle.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide said means of such a characterthatthe same willbecome automatically disconnected from the trailer and at the saine time locked against swinging movement upon the couplin of the motor vehicle to the trailer.

as will be readily understood, the invention will be hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. In the drawings, like characters of reference are used to designate corresponding parts. Q f

. Figure` 1 is a planview illustrating a motor vehicle after being backedfin the vicinity of a trailer and connected thereto, Figure 2 is a similar view after the motor vehicle has been further backed `and become l coupled to the trailer, i e Figure 3 is a side view `of Figurefl, `=Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a rear view of the motor vehicle as shown in Fig. 2, `the guide link being in its up or connected position,

being in its down or disconnected and locked position, and e Figure 7 `illustrates the automatic cou- Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the rear end of a motor vehicle, and 2 the 1 forward portion of the draw-bar of a trailer to be coupled to the motor vehicle. To the i end of said draw-bar is fixed an eye 3, which Vllith the above and other objects in view` Figure 6 is a similar view, the guide link is .adapted to be engaged by a suitable coupllng at the rear end of the motor vehicle. lihe coupling shown is of the `automatic type and consists of a hook 4 having an` yond a certain position by means of its shoulder 11 engaging a stop` 12 and it is locked in closed position by a latch 13 engaging its end 14. Said latch is arranged to swing between the sides of the bracket 9, and is pivoted thereto at 15. A spring 16 tends to retain the latch 13 in locking position, and a handle 17, carrying a cam 18 for throwing the latch out of locking position and also for holding it in locked position, is` rotatably mounted in the sides of the bracket i In coupling a trailer to a motor vehicle in theuusualmanner, one man operates the motor vehicle and another instructs him where to back so that the latter man may be able to connect the coupling parts. By means of the device now to be described, the operatorie enabled to couple thetrailer to the motor vehicle without assistance. To the rear end 1 of the motor vehicle and at the side of the center Jthereof, is fastened, by bolts 19, a bracket, 20 having'upper and lower horizontal lugs 21 and22. J4link arm formedof an upper bar 23 and a lower bar 24 isswingingly connected to said lugs by means of a vertical pivot pin 25, which passes through openings in the separated ends`26 and 27 of said bars.` The free ends 28 and 29of said bars are fixed together by means of a bolt 30, the head 31. of which is round andis adapted to engage an opening 32 1n `the lower endv33 of a depending bracket 34, which is. fixed at its upper end `35 to the underside of the forward end 2 retained in place by means of a washer 36 and cotter pin 37. For holding` the link arm in its upper position, so that the head .31 of the bolt 30 will engage the opening 32 of the bracket 34, the end 26 of its upper bar Q3 is bent downwardly at 38 to serve as a foot for sliding upon the upper lug 2l during the backing ofthe motor vehicle. Then the motor vehicle has been backed sufficiently to cause the eye 3 to be engaged by the hook t, the link arm is substantially at a right angle to the lugs 2ll and- 22, the foot 38 has slid ofi the lug 2l, and therefore the link arm is permitted to drop, Which disengages the head 31 of the bolt 30 from the opening 82 of the bracket 33.y As the foot 38 engages the side of the lug 21, the link arm is locked against swinging movement.

In order to couple the trailer to the motor vehicle, the motor vehicle is backed in such relation to the trailer as to enable the connecting of the link arm to the bracket 34, with the foot 38 resting upon the lug 2l, and the coupling is set in its open position. After the connecting of the link arm, the backing of the motor vehicle, will cause the link arm to guide the eye 3 into the opening 5 of the hook 4, which will throw' the hook upwardly until its end 14 is locked by the vlatch 13. At the same time, the foot 38 has slipped off the lug 2l, thus permitting the link armv to drop and d'isengage itself from the bracket Bil, and as the foot engages the side of said lug, the link arm is locked against swinging movement.

The invention set forth in the drawings and description is subject to slight changes so far as the details of construction and arrangement ofthe parts are concerned without departing from the scope ofthe claims.

Having fully described inv invention, what I claim is:

l. In a means for facilitating the coupling of va trailer to a motor vehicle, the combination with i cooperatingcoupling means carried by the trailer and the motor vehicle, and means adapted to connect the trailer to ,the motor vehicle for guiding the coupling means .of the trailer into coupling lrel-ation with the coupling means of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle is backed.

2. In a means for facilitating the coupling` of a trailer to a motor vehicle, the combination with cooperating coupling` means carried by the trailer and the motor vehicle, of a link arm adapted to connect the trailer to the motor vehicle for guiding the coupling means of the trailer into cooperating rela tion With the coupling means of the motor vehicle When the motor vehicle is backed, substantially as described.

3. In a means for facilitating the coupling of a trailer to a motor vehicle, the .combination with cooperating coupling` means carried by the trailer and the motor vehicle, of a link arm'pivoted to the motor vehicle and adapted to be pivotally connected to the trailer for guidingthe coupling means of the trailer into cooperating relation with the coupling means of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle is backed, substantially as described.

4.-. ln a means for facilitating the coupling of a trailer toa motor vehicle, the combination with cooperating coupling means carried by the trailer and the motor vehicle, of a link arm pil-voted tothe motor vehicle and adapted to be pivotally connected to the trailci` for guiding the coupling means of the trailer into cooperating relation with the coupling means of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle is backed, and means fo' automatically disconnecting the link arm from thc trailer upon said coupling means haring been brought into cooperating relation` substantial'ly as described.

5. In a means for facilitating the coupling of a trailer to a motor vehicle, the conn bination with cooperating couplings means carried by the trailer and the motor vehicle, of a link arm pivoted to the motor vehicle and adapted to be pivotally connected to the trailer for guiding the coupling means of the trailer into cooperating relation with the coupling means of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle is backed, and means for lockingthe link arm against swinging movement after it is disconnected from the trailer, substantially as described.

6. In a means for facilitating the coupling of a trailer to a motor vehicle. the combination of a coupling means carried by the motor vehicle and. a cooperating coupling means carried by the trailer, a link arm pivoted to the motor vehicle at one side of the coupling means carried thereby, and the free end of the link arm being adapted to be pivotally connected to the trailer whereby the coupling means of the trailer will be guided to cooperate with the cou pling means of the motor vehicle. substantially as described.

7. In a means for facilitating the cou pling of a trailer to a motor vehicle. the couibination of a coupling means carried by the motor vehicle and a cooperating coupling means carried by the trailer, a bracket fixed to the motor vehicle, a link arm pivoted to the bracket, the link arm being free to move vertically, a foot for holding the link arm in its upper position, the free end of thc link arm being adapted to be pivotally connected to the trailer when in its upper position, and the foot permitting the link arm to drop for disconnecting it with the trailer after the coupling means of the tailer has been brought into cooperating relation 'with the coupling means ofthe motor vehicle` substantially as described.

S. In a means for facilitating the coupling of a trailer to a motor vel cle. the combination of a coupling means carried by the motor vehicle and a cooperating coupling means carried by the trailer, a bracket lixed to the motor vehicle, e link arm yloiyoted te` the bracket, the link arm being free to move vertically, a foot carried by the link arm and adapted to slide upon the bracket for holdingf the link arm in its upper position,

the free end of the link arm being adapted to be pivotally connected to thetrziler When y in its upper position and the foot being 

